Fig. 6

Pan-Probiotic (PP) treatment decreases lesion volume and cell death. (a) Lesion volume, expressed as a percentage of the total brain area, was significantly reduced in male mice treated with PP compared to VH-treated males (*p < 0.05). Female mice showed no significant differences between treatment groups, however female mice in the VH-treated group exhibited smaller lesion volumes than male mice in the same treatment group (^p < 0.05). (b) Cresyl violet-stained coronal brain sections showing lesion areas (red dashed lines) in male and female mice treated with VH or PP at 3 days post-injury (dpi). (c) No significant differences in lesion volume were observed between VH and PP-treated male or female mice at 35 dpi. (d) Male mice treated with PP showed significantly fewer TUNEL + cells compared to VH-treated males (*p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in females. Representative fluorescent images of TUNEL + cells (green) in the cortex of male and female mice treated with VH (d1, d3) or PP (d2, d4). Statistical significance was assessed using two-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison post-hoc test (*, ^p < 0.05). n = 4–10 mice/group. Scale bars in panels d1–d4 indicate 50 μm